Germany's Laura Siegemund has won the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart by defeating Kristina Mladenovic in a third set tie-break, one year after her fairytale run to the final as a qualifier.
Siegemund raced through the first set but was pegged back in the second. The pair twice exchanged breaks in the decider before Siegemund edged the match 6-1 2-6 7-6 7-5.
The 29-year-old Siegemund enjoyed a breakthrough 2016 around her superb run to the Stuttgart final but despite winning her first event in July last year, she returned to Stuttgart this term on a wildcard ranked 49th in the world.
Mladenovic was searching for her second win of the season having ended Maria Sharapova's return from a 15-month doping ban in the semi-finals.
A lightning quick start saw Siegemund race into a 4-0 lead in the first set and though Mladenovic got one back, Siegemund broke again to take the opener in just 29 minutes.
Mladenovic found her serve in the second set though and with breaks in the fourth and eighth games set up a decisive finale.
In that all or nothing set, Siegemund broke first only to see her advantage vanish when an awkward defensive shot from Mladenovic struck the netcord and crawled over on break-back point.
A superb forehand winner earned Siegemund a break for 5-4 but she failed to serve out the title, being penalised for a time violation en route much to the consternation of the home fans.
Mladenovic led 4-2 at the tiebreak changeover but missed consecutive forehands to find herself in trouble. Siegemund made no mistake on match point, chasing down a drop shot to land a cross-court effort on the line and seal the honours in 2 hours 30 minutes.
Siegemund's stunning run to the title included victories over seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova, Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep before she dispatched Mladenovic.
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